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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers

One of the most intractable problems facing manufacturers is where the product is used in a workplace environment. Many times, it is the employer that created an unsafe work condition that contributed to the accident.

You've heard of the iPhone and iPad. How about the iCar? The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has hired hundreds of people to work on a secret project — code name "Titan" — to develop an electric vehicle.

Japan and the U.S. are moving closer to reaching agreement on market opening measures needed to conclude a Pacific Rim trade pact, a top U.S. envoy said Friday, urging Japanese business leaders to help bridge the last, difficult disagreements.

Over the past week the manufacturing sector has experienced no shortage of news. From continued strikes to massive recalls — the news has run the gamut — and after sifting through it all here is this week's Manufacturing's Winner & Loser.

One out of every three new vehicles Americans bought last year was an SUV, according to Kelley Blue Book. SUV sales rose 12 percent to more than 5.5 million. That was double the pace of the industry as a whole.

For the U.S. auto industry, 2014 was the year of the recall. Automakers issued 803 recalls totaling almost 64 million vehicles, more than double the old record from a decade ago, according to government figures.